Without the Curse
by ReginaQueenofHogwarts
Summary: On the day of Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding, the Evil Queen arrives uninvited. This time, however, instead of threatening the newly weds' happiness, she does something unexpected: asks for forgiveness. This is my first fan fiction, so I hope you like it! *I do not own OUAT or any of it's characters. The only thing that belongs to me is the plot and the extra characters.
1. The Wedding

Thousands of people had shown up to the palace to celebrate this special day. Those who could not find seats in the palace were gathered at the entrance, trying to get as close as they could to the special event.

Inside the palace a crowd of Snow White and Prince Charming's closest friends were gathered. Red Riding Hood stood with her Grandmother, who was currently blowing her nose in a tissue, creating a noise similar to a foghorn. The seven dwarves were huddled together. The event had brought such joy upon them that Happy was crying tears of joy, and even Grumpy cracked a smile.

A hush fell over the room as the minister at the middle of the room began to speak.

"We're all here today to celebrate the relationship of Snow White and Prince James and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another."

As the minister continued, Snow White gazed at her prince, who gazed back in the same loving manner. Everyone in the room was sure that what these two people had was the truest love of them all.

"Do you, Snow, take James to be your husband?"

A tear trickled down her cheek. "I do."

"And do you, James, take Snow to be your wife?"

"I do," he said with a wide smile.

"Then I do pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Snow looked into her husband's eyes and leaned in, only to be stopped by a gasp erupting from the people in the room.

A woman had appeared in a cloud of black smoke. She was wearing a modest brown dress and her face was wiped clean of makeup, but there was no mistaking her: it was Regina, the Evil Queen.

Snow pulled the sword from her husband's sheath and pointed it at the Evil Queen.

"Sorry I'm late," the Evil Queen said timidly; not like herself at all.

"What do you want?" asked Snow, glaring at her stepmother. "Have you come to threaten our happiness again?"

"No. I came," the Evil Queen took a deep breath, "I came to ask for your forgiveness."

Snow's eyes widened in surprise. She returned the sword to its sheath. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted.

"Forgiveness?" yelled Grumpy. "You murdered hundreds of people!"

"Yeah!" yelled Granny. "You have no right!"

"You killed my brother!"

"You burned my house down!"

"You need to pay for your crimes!"

Everyone joined in in agreement, yelling at the Evil Queen, who looked ready to disappear into black smoke again.

"Wait!" called Snow. "Let her speak."

The Evil Queen looked straight at Snow. "I know I don't deserve it. I was visiting Daniel's grave recently, and I realized that he would've feared me. He wouldn't be happy that I was seeking revenge; he would hate me. I have murdered and tortured many times, all just for revenge over someone who is long gone. I will do anything it takes to earn your forgiveness. Everyone's forgiveness," she added, looking around at the faces before her. "Please."

Snow's eyes softened. "You have done terrible things, Regina. I am willing to give you another chance," at these words an uproar sounded in the hall, and she had to raise her voice as she said, "but you need to earn everyone's forgiveness as well as mine. If you are to destroy your evil reputation, you must be kept in a chamber in the castle. You may not use magic for two years, and when those years are up, you may only use light magic. You will not have any special treatment. However, when you leave the castle for the next year, you will have a guard with you at all times for your safety and the safety of others. You must do whatever you can to earn the forgiveness of all. Can you do this?"

Regina nodded. She was relieved. Though she knew that she deserved to die for her crimes, she didn't fancy having to.

"Thank you," she croaked.

"We shall finish this ceremony soon, but for now, we need everyone to return to their homes. Thank you for attending, and we shall contact you of the rescheduled date."

With that, the crowd cleared from the palace, leaving only Snow, James, and Regina.

"Snow, are you sure this is the right decision? She might try to kill you again," asked James warily.

"I'm sure. Everyone deserves forgiveness if they ask for it."

Snow walked towards her stepmother.

"Regina, these next few years will not be easy. Are you sure you're ready?" asked Snow.

Regina nodded. "I will make up for the things that I've done, no matter how long it takes."


	2. The First Day

Regina sat up in her bed and looked around at her plain, grey chamber, confused. Then she remembered her decision from the day before and smiled a warm smile. Today she was going to begin the long, hard journey to forgiveness.

Rays of light were seeping into the chamber from the one window behind Regina's bed. On the bedside table there was a small tray of bread, cheese, and crackers. On the floor a simple brown dress had been spread along with a pair of brown slippers.

Regina changed into the dress and slippers and ate her breakfast. Once the platter had been cleared, she noticed a small, golden bell with a note beneath it behind the tray. The note read, _If you need me_. Curious, Regina picked up the bell and rang it. A few minutes, later, the door creaked open.

Snow stepped into the chamber wearing grey pants and a matching blouse. "Are you ready to start?"

Regina nodded. "What do I need to do first?"

"We already have the no-magic part covered," said Snow, pointing to a black cuff that was on Regina's wrist. "That cuff will keep you from using your magic. You can't take it off, just in case you get tempted. The second part is not as easy. You need to earn the forgiveness of the kingdom. How are you going to do it?"

Regina thought. How could she make up for all the sadness and destruction she had caused? Then it hit her. "I could go to my castle-supervised, of course-and use all of the supplies that I have there to repair any of the destruction I caused. I could give out food to the hungry, and build houses for the homeless. And while I'm at the castle I can free those I had captured."

Snow smiled. "That's a great idea. The Blue Fairy can help us transport some of the products and help us get there." They started to walk out the door when Snow stopped. "Oh, Regina, you should bring that bell. It's magic. Whenever you ring it, I can always hear it." Regina picked up the bell and walked out the door.

"What is she doing here?" asked the Blue Fairy with a scowl on her face.

"Blue, I told you last night, she's on the road to forgiveness, and you and I are going to help her," said Snow.

The Blue Fairy was floating in the air, wings beating fast with irritation.

"How do we know she won't try something?" Blue asked, not bothering to keep her voice down, even though Regina was within earshot.

"I won't," said Regina. "I can't use my magic, but I wouldn't if I could. I really do want to start over."

The Blue Fairy merely huffed. "I will help, but don't expect me to be ready to forgive you yet."

Regina nodded. No one would forgive her that easily, she knew that. This would take time.

"All right, we're going to Regina's castle, correct? Close your eyes." The Blue Fairy raised her wand and waved it over herself, Regina, and Snow, showering blue sparkles over the three of them. As the sparkles hit them, they slowly faded away.

Regina opened her eyes and saw in front of her a huge, hulking castle. She winced as she was reminded of her past cruelty.

"Let's go," said Snow, and she walked through the doors into the castle, Blue flying closely behind.

Regina took a deep breath. It was time to confront her past, whether she was ready for it or not.


	3. Confronting the Past

"We should set the prisoners free first; the dungeon is this way," said Regina, leading the way to a stairwell that was dimly lit by torches.

"Lovely place that you've got here," said Blue, her nose upturned.

"I have no idea how I found this attractive," said Regina, shuddering.

"Trust me honey, nobody else does either," replied Blue.

The trio reached the end of the stairwell. "Here we go," Regina muttered to herself as she stepped out of the stairwell.

The dungeon was horrifying. It was even darker than the stairwell, with only one or two torches. The walls of the dungeon were stained with blood and had moss-coated bricks. There were cages all over the dungeon, mostly occupied. Some people were sleeping, some were awake, looking fearfully out of the bars. In a few of the cages, some bodies were motionless.

"They can only be opened by magic," said Regina to Blue. "You'll have to open them."

"Of course," said Blue, and with a wave of her wand, the doors on the cages flew open. The prisoners stirred (well, most of them) and looked at the open doors cautiously. Were they finally free?

"I am here to apologize to all of you. I know that I do not deserve your forgiveness, but the least I can do is free you. Please allow the Blue Fairy to transport you magically back to your homes."

The Blue Fairy waved her wand once more and the prisoners faded from the room.

"Is that all?" asked Blue.

"No," said Regina. "One last thing. Follow me."

Regina, Snow, and Blue climbed back up the stairwell and walked to a wall. It had one hundred eight golden boxes.

"Will you open them?" asked Regina.

Blue rolled her eyes and waved her wand. Immediately, the boxes shot out of the wall and you could see all of the glowing, beating hearts within them. Regina stepped closer to them and said to all of them,

"Come here."

Suddenly, a rumbling came from all directions.

"What the. . . ?"

One hundred and eight people entered the room, all of them staring at their mistress in disbelief.

"I am going to set you free," said Regina. "Go back to your homes and reunite with your families. I will torment you no more." And one by one, Regina returned each heart to its owners. At last, there was only one man left.

"Huntsman?" asked Snow, looking at the man incredulously.

"Snow?" asked the Huntsman. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping Regina earn forgiveness."

"So that's why you're doing this," said the Huntsman to Regina. "It will take a while, but I wish you good luck."

"Thank you," said Regina, as she returned the Huntsman's heart.

After the huntsman left, Regina looked at Snow and Blue.

"Now we should begin using the castle supplies to help build houses and supply people with their needs in the village. But how will we transport all of the supplies? It'll take ages to take apart the castle and deliver the supplies."

"I can help transport the supplies, but you need to build and hand out everything on your own," said Blue.

"Of course," Regina nodded.

"Then let's get started."

I apologize for how short this chapter was. Also, I posted this early to say that some people in the comments have mistaken this for a Snow/Regina fan fiction. IT IS NOT. This is a fan fiction involving Snowing (at some point Robin Hood will come into the story). Snow and James' honeymoon is not shown (sorry). Thank you so much for your feedback and comments really mean a lot to me. And thank you for those of you who have followed/favorited this story. Thank you! Smell ya later!


	4. Building the Future

Regina was standing with a large basket in the middle of the village. The basket was filled with fruits, vegetables, and cups of water. The Blue Fairy was currently transporting more supplies from the castle to the village, but Snow had stayed with Regina to help.

"Hello, subjects of this village. I am here today with the woman that most of you know as the Evil Queen. Her real name, however, is Regina. She is on the road to forgiveness, and she has come here to give food to the hungry, and build houses for the homeless. We only ask that you give her a second chance."

The villagers grumbled amongst themselves, but they couldn't say anything with their loyal and hardworking queen present.

"I will stay here with Regina while she helps all those who need it."

With that, Snow stepped back and allowed Regina to take the floor.

"Um," she began nervously, "first, all those who need food may come up here and retrieve what they need."

No one moved.

"Um, any time."

A little girl with a dirt-coated face and muddy red curls escaped her mother's grasp and ran up to Regina.

"Can I have two pears, please, Ms. Regina?" the little girl asked in a high voice.

"Of course, sweetie!" smiled Regina, handing the little girl two pears.

"Thank you!"

The little girl ran back and handed her mother a pear. The mother looked at it skeptically, but the little girl took a big bight. Then, the little girl ran back up to Regina. She stood up on her tiptoes, and Regina leaned down. The little girl whispered,

"By the way, my name is Lucy."

Then the girl ran back to her mother, who had finally taken a small bight of the pear.

People slowly began approaching Regina and taking food. As expected, the apples were left untouched. Most people weren't even registering Regina's existence, but nearly everyone took food. Lucy kept going back up to Regina and helping her hand out food. Soon, the basket was empty (except for the apples, of course).

Regina smiled. Maybe she could do this after all.

Sorry about how short this chapter is! Anyway, to answer some of the questions in the comments, Snow did marry David/Charming. However, the only name given to us for Charming besides Charming was James. So Snow did marry David/Charming and not his brother. Charming is just known as James. For the second question, after weddings, it's traditional to cut the cake and dance do speeches. It's like an after party. Snow meant that she would reschedule the AFTER PARTY, not the actual wedding. Thank you for your feedback. It means a lot to me. If you guys have any more questions, please just ask. Smell ya later!


	5. Believe

It was Regina's first time to walk outside alone in a year. It felt good to walk through the village on her own. About a quarter of the village had adapted to Regina, but everyone else still resented her.

Lucy waved at Regina from the well, and Regina waved back. The red-haired little girl frequently accompanied Regina while she was doing her good deeds. Regina really liked Lucy; she was like a daughter to Regina.

Regina had so far built three houses, all of which are now occupied. She was heading to build her fourth. Thankfully, the Blue Fairy delivered a large pile of bricks every day to the village so that Regina could build more houses.

Regina picked up a few bricks and began arranging them for the base of the house. Building a house was draining work, but it was worth it. She wanted to make sure that the bricks were in perfect formation for a beautiful home for whoever was going to use it. As she placed the last base brick, Regina straightened back up and turned, only to see a short, balding man blocking her from the bucket of wet cement.

"Where's Queen Snow?" he asked gruffly.

"She's not with me today," said Regina. "Would you please excuse me, I need to get to the cement."

The man merely scowled.

"So there's nobody here with you? No guards hidden? No fairies?"

"It's just me," said Regina, a nervous smile on her face.

"Then I can do this," said the man, and he punched Regina in the face, sending her to the ground with a yelp.

"Hey!"

Lucy abandoned her post at the well and ran towards Regina, stopping right in front of her, so to block the man from Regina.

"Stop it!"

"Get away, little girl," grunted the man. "This is none of your concern."

"Yes it is!" said Lucy, stomping her foot stubbornly on the ground. "Regina is my friend! Don't hurt her!"

The man ignored Lucy and picked her up, trying to move her out of his way, only to be kicked in the groin by the flailing little girl.

Lucy's mother ran out from her home by the well and picked up her child.

"Keep your hands off her!" she yelled at the man. "Off of them both!"

"Go back to your home, Elena," said the man. "She deserves this."

"No! She doesn't!" protested Elena. "Like the Queen said, Regina may have done terrible things, but she has asked for your forgiveness. She gave herself up. She deserves another chance at acceptance."

"She's the reason my wife is dead!" the man roared. "You don't understand!"

"But I do!" yelled Elena even louder than the man. "She's the reason why my husband is dead. Heartbreak can make a person do crazy things. Regina was just affected by it more than the rest of us. She has seen the error of her ways and she is making up for it, one good deed at a time. So who says she can't earn forgiveness? Who says she can't start over? Give her a chance!"

The man backed away, looking ashamed of himself. Without another word, he walked away.

"Thank you," said Regina to Elena as she stood up.

"You're welcome," replied Elena. "And I meant what I said. You deserve forgiveness."

Regina smiled at Elena, who smiled back.

"You can do this!" squealed Lucy.

"You think so?" asked Regina.

Lucy looked Regina in the eye.

"I believe in you."

Thank you so much to all of you who have read my story and supported me! I especially want to thank an anonymous person who went by the name of "Hello" who commented on my story yesterday. Thank you so much for your support. It means so much to me that you like my story, and I really appreciate the comment you gave. Also thank you to the guest who commented on Aug. 14 and said that she/he "loved it." I really appreciate all of the feedback! Thank you so much. Smell ya later! :)


	6. Bippity Boppity Boo

Regina stood on the balcony of the highest tower in the castle. It had been years since she had asked for the kingdom's forgiveness. Nearly everyone had forgiven Regina for her past crimes. Snow and James had given her a room in the castle, since she was the Queen's stepmother, and was able to use her magic freely, as long as it wasn't dark. Her life really had changed since the time when she had seeked revenge on her stepdaughter.

Regina still visited Lucy at least once a week. The little girl would tell Regina all that was on her mind, and Regina would console her. Then, Regina would tell Lucy about life in the palace. Lucy wanted to visit, but Regina thought it was best to wait until she was older.

Regina looked up at the starry night sky. Daniel was up there somewhere, smiling down on her. Regina liked to imagine that he was proud of what she had done. There was still a hole in her heart, but she knew that revenge would only make it bigger. Perhaps it was even closing, ever so slowly, because of the family that she now had.

Suddenly, a tingling sensation interrupted Regina's thoughts. She heard a small whisper in the back of her head.

"Did you hear it too?"

Startled, Regina turned and saw a woman in yellow gown smiling at her.

"You did, didn't you?"

"Excuse me, but who are you?" asked Regina cautiously.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm the yellow fairy, but you can call me Daisy."

"I'm Regina."

"Oh, please, I already know who you are. But did you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The whisper!"

"Oh! That! Yes, I did. What is it?"

"It's a wish. Us fairies can hear wishes made by those of pure hearts. It's our job to decide which wishes to grant."

"Oh, I'm not a fairy," said Regina, turning red.

"Magic seems to think otherwise."

"Then magic had a little too much wine tonight."

Daisy laughed. "You can grant it. And you _should_. All you have to do is poof away and you'll be taken to the one who made the wish."

"Are you sure I'm supposed to?" asked Regina. "I'm not one of you."

"Try it. Trust me, you'll love it."

"Fine," Regina sighed.

Regina waved her hands, and imagined herself going to the place of the wishmaker. She began to spin, and suddenly came to a stop.

Regina looked around. She was in the middle of an unfamiliar village. In front of her was a girl who looked to be about nineteen. She had short, blond hair and a face coated in dirt. She wore a ragged dress with an apron that was covered in so much mud that you couldn't tell what its original color was. She was sweeping away at some straw on the floor and didn't even notice Regina's arrival.

Regina bit her lip. She wasn't a fairy; she didn't know how to do this stuff!

She cleared her throat. "Erm, I am, um, the-the Silver Sorceress," said Regina, blurting whatever popped into her head. "I heard your, um, wish and I am here to grant it."

The girl dropped her broom. "What? Are you serious?"

"Extremely. Um, tell me your name."

"Ella."

"Right, um, Ella. So, you wished to go to this ball, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, um, first you need a dress. Right. What's your favorite color, Ella?"

"Blue."

"All right, then," said Regina. She thrusted her hands at Ella, and immediately a beautiful blue ball gown appeared in place of the rags.

"Amazing!" Ella gasped.

"And you also need shoes," said Regina, replacing some ratty old shoes with golden slippers.

"They're beautiful!"

"And lastly, your transportation."

A beautiful golden carriage appeared, along with two black horses and a coachman.

"Have fun on your special night, Ella. Make sure to watch the clock."

"I will! Thank you so much!" said Ella gratefully as she climbed into the carriage.

"You're welcome."

Regina watched the carriage as it wheeled out of sight.

As Regina poofed back to the palace, she muttered to herself, "Maybe I am a fairy. . . . Nope."

Hope you guys enjoyed this one! I thought it would be fun to do an interpretation of Cinderella where Regina was the Fairy Godmother, or, as she likes to call herself, the Silver Sorceress. In this case, Rumpelstiltskin senses Regina's presence and doesn't come and attempt to kill her. Thank you for reading, commenting, and favoriting/following. Oh, and for those of you wondering about Rumpel, he'll come in soon. Smell ya later!


	7. An Unexpected Surprise

"Good morning, Snow!" called Regina cheerily to her stepdaughter. "Where are you heading?"

"Oh, I just woke up and felt like some fresh air on this lovely Saturday morning. Would you like to come with me?"

"I'd love to!"

Snow and Regina set off out through the castle and out of the heavy wooden doors. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun shining down and on the kingdom. everyone was outside, having picnics, working on farms, collecting water from wells. Children were out playing in the fields. In fact, their was a little red-haired figure playing there, too.

Lucy turned and saw Regina.

"Regina!" she yelled, waving ecstatically.

She abandoned the field and ran towards Regina, tackling her in a hug.

"Hi!" she said. She turned to Snow and her eyes widened to the size of saucer plates. "You're the Queen."

"I believe that I am," she said, smiling sweetly at Lucy.

"You're pretty," Lucy said to Snow. "You're pretty, too," she added to Regina.

"Thank you!" Snow and Regina chorused.

"So what's your name?"

"Lucy."

"That's such a pretty-"

Snow doubled over unexpectedly.

"I'm not feeling too well," she said.

"Oh no!" said Lucy. "Are you okay, Your Majesty?"

"I'm don't think so. Regina, please take me to Doc."

"Of course. Goodbye, Lucy."

With that, Regina poofed from the village and into the dwarves' cottage.

"I need Doc!" called Regina.

"I'm coming!" he called, toddling into the room, stethoscope in hand. "I'm here, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," said Regina, practically holding up Snow. "Out of nowhere, she doubled over and said she felt sick."

"I'm tired," murmured Snow absentmindedly.

"Doc, what's going on?" asked Regina frantically.

"Sit her down here," said Doc, motioning to a nearby chair.

Regina did what he said. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. Steady heartbeat, good blood flow, she's not sick. But, maybe. . . ." Doc pressed his stethoscope to Snow's stomach. He gasped. "I knew it."

"What, what is it?" asked Regina desperately.

Doc turned to her with a grin.

"Snow White is pregnant."

I am SO sorry for the late update. I totally forgot this morning. I hope you guys liked that one! Once again, thank you to all those who commented and followed and read, it really means a lot to me. Please don't hesitate to comment on stories, I really would love the feedback. Smell ya later!


	8. Preparing the Nursery

"I think we should get blue drapes."

"No, we should get pink. We know it's going to be a girl."

"You can't associate a gender with a color!"

"I know, but maybe she'll like pink better!"

"Blue is more calm than pink!"

"Dear, please-"

"James, you're speaking with an irrational pregnant woman who was previously a very capable outlaw. Perhaps you should compromise this time."

James, Snow, and Regina were all standing in the soon-to-be nursery, deciding what should go where. The King and Queen were currently arguing over which color the drapes could be.

"See!" said Snow indignantly. "Regina agrees that we should have blue!"

"Now, I didn't say that. I just think that since James chose the type of crib then you should choose the drapes."

James sighed. "Fine, dear. We can have blue."

"Thank you," said Snow, giving her husband a quick kiss.

Regina smiled and pointed her hand at the window. Immediately, pretty blue drapes appeared.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Perfect."

"Maybe blue does look better."

"Is that all?" asked Regina.

"Nope. One last thing," said James.

"We need a mobile."

"Okay. What type?"

"That's the thing. We don't know."

"Hmmm." Regina thought about different types of mobiles that might be thought as pleasing to a child. "What about this?"

A mobile appeared above the crib. It had small glass daisies hanging on it. They rotated slowly above the crib, making small tinkling noises when they clinked together.

"Maybe," said Snow. "Can you show us another?"

For fifteen minutes, Regina conjured mobile after mobile to the couple. Some fairies, some dogs, some books. None of them were right.

"You know what, Regina?" said James. "Snow and I will probably just keep denying every mobile until the sun sets. Why don't we just leave and you can choose the mobile? We can trust you to choose the perfect one."

"Are you sure?"

"Very."

The couple left the nursery, leaving Regina alone in the nursery. She stood there, thinking about what could make a good mobile for a baby girl. Then it hit her. Regina waved her hands and another mobile appeared above the crib. This one had blue and white glass unicorns dangling peacefully over the cushioned crib.

Regina stared at the mobile with longing. A wave of memories rushed forth to greet her.

" _Hi, Papa!" Regina called from the entrance of musty old shed. "What are you doing?"_

" _Oh, I'm just looking through some old things," he replied._

" _Can I do it, too?"_

" _Of course you can," said Regina's father with a warm smile._

 _Regina ran to her father and sat by him as he opened up a small box._

" _This was your first doll," he said, showing regina a straw doll with a small pink dress on it._

" _Really? I don't remember her."_

" _You used to call her Mellie."_

 _Regina picked up the doll. "Hello, Mellie!"_

 _Her father retrieved a bigger box and opened it up. "This was the mobile I got from one of my travels when I was younger."_

 _The mobile was beautiful. It had small, glass unicorns that were blue and white dangling from a wicker circle. They chimed merrily when they bumped into each other, almost like they were laughing._

" _It's so pretty," said Regina with wide eyes, still clutching her doll._

" _Regina, what are you doing?! You're ruining your dress!" Regina's mother had arrived wearing a red dress that was much too extravagant for everyday wear. "It's tea time. Get up and dust off your dress. You can't behave like this if you are to be queen."_

" _But I don't_ want _to be queen, Mother!"_

" _Too bad." Cora snatched the doll from Regina's hand and threw it away carelessly._

 _Regina's father looked sorrowfully back at his daughter, who waved goodbye._

Tears were trickling down Regina's cheeks. After all she had done, she had ended up just like her mother. She had become just as heartless and cruel, all for some ridiculous fantasy of revenge. She had thrown away a family. She could've raised Snow White. She could have been a _mother_. But she had thrown it all away.

A yell interrupted Regina's thoughts, jerking her from her thoughts.

Regina ran out of the room, following the sound of the yells. She threw open the doors to James' and Snows' room and saw Snow doubled over once again, hands on her stomach. She was sweating like crazy and she looked slightly pale. James was standing by her, looking worried.

"Snow, what is it?" ask James, brows creased with nervousness.

Snow looked at her husband.

"The baby's coming."

I hope you liked this one! If you guys liked the little memory from Regina's past, just say so in the comments and I'll put more like it! After this, I'll be doing little scenes from Emma's life, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me them. Thanks for reading! Smell ya later!


	9. Emma

Snow and James sat on their bed, cradling their new baby girl who was born just minutes ago. She had blond tufts of hair already growing, and she was cooing softly.

"Isn't she beautiful?" whispered Snow to her husband. "She looks like you."

"How can you tell what she looks like already? She's a baby."

Snow chuckled. "I don't know. Just a guess."

James put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We did it."

"We did, didn't we?"

The baby waved its tiny fist in the air, as though saying hello.

"What should we name her?"

"I don't know," said Snow, staring at her newborn child.

"It should be something that reflects her."

"How do we know what reflects her, she's a baby; she can't talk."

"Well, we know what reflects us. Some of that must have gone into her."

"How do we know which parts?"

James laughed. "I don't know."

"Well, we know that she's our daughter, so it has to be a girl's name," said Snow.

"Yes. And we know that she had blond hair and green eyes."

"She must have bravery, since she's your daughter,"

"And yours," added James.

"And she must be stubborn, since you're her father."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding."

"Well, she must enjoy hitting people with rocks, if she's your daughter."

Snow laughed. "Okay, I do kind of deserve that."

"It still hurts."

"Oh, be quiet!"

"Well, what's something else we both have in common?"

Snow creased her brows in concentration. This was harder than she thought. Not as hard as giving birth, but hard all the same. How was she and James supposed to come up with the perfect name? They could just choose something random and be done with it, but then the name wouldn't be special. She wanted to give her daughter everything.

 _Snow ran as fast as her legs would take her. What had she just seen? Was it real? Was it a dream? How could Regina not love Snow's father? She had accepted the proposal. Well, her mother did, but obviously Regina was alright with it as well, otherwise she would have said something, wouldn't she?_

 _Snow let out a yelp as she slipped through the mud._

" _Snow!" called Regina. "Are you okay?"_

" _No," sobbed Snow. "Why were you kissing that man in the stable? You're to marry my father. You're to be my mother."_

" _Oh, Snow, please listen to me. Hey, your father, King Leopold, he's a kind and fair man. . . but I don't love him."_

" _I don't understand. Why not?"_

" _It doesn't work that way, honey. Love. . . true love, is magic. And not just any magic. The most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness."_

" _And that man in the stables. . . you love him."_

" _With all my heart."_

" _Then you must marry him."_

"James! I've got it!" said Snow excitedly to her husband.

"What is it?"

"Well, Emma's our daughter, right?"

"Yes. . . ," said James skeptically.

"And we have true love, don't we?"

"Of course!"

"Then that makes our daughter the product of true love! True love can break any curse, so our daughter can solve nearly any problem in the universe!"

"I'd say so, yes," replied James. "Where are you going with this?"

"Well," said Snow with a smile, "the word 'ermen' means universal. So, we should name her Emma, because she is universal!"

James' face broke into a shining grin. "That's genius!"

Snow blushed.

"How did you come up with it?"

"Just a little help from an old friend."

Thank you to all of you who have read, favorited, followed, and commented on my story. I really appreciate it and it means a lot to me. Thank you so much! Smell ya later!


	10. The Silver Sorceress

Ever since Regina's transformation of Ella, allowing the girl to go to the ball, Regina had been bombarded with wishes left right and center. The wishes ranged from wanting to have longer hair to wanting to be royalty. The word of this "Silver Sorceress" spread quickly. Everyone wanted their wishes to be granted by her.

Regina paced her room, her hands over her ears. For the last year, the wishes had grown steadily worse. At first, only one or two came to her a day. Now, Regina heard at least a hundred wishes everyday.

"I wish to be queen."

"I wish my sister would stop being annoying."

"I wish to be a king."

"I wish I had a prettier dress."

"I wish my ears were smaller."

"I wish I was prettier."

"I wish I could be knight."

"I wish my eyes were green."

"I wish I could have my mother back."

Regina paused. That last voice sounded familiar. Could it be. . . ? Just to be sure, Regina disappeared into a cloud of silver smoke and traveled to the wisher's location.

Regina appeared in the familiar village where she had done most of her work three years ago. She looked around and saw a large crowd of villagers to her right. Regina walked towards the crowd. As she approached, the crowd parted as they recognized the Silver Sorceress.

In the middle of the crowd, a little girl was kneeling, her face covered with her hands, and sobbing. Her red hair was curtaining her head, and the girl was shaking.

"Lucy!" called Regina, running towards the little girl.

Lucy looked up, showing red-rimmed eyes and tear tracks going down her cheeks. "Re-Regina?"

Regina swept up Lucy in a hug. Then, she looked at the villagers surrounding her. "Could you give us some privacy, please?" asked Regina quietly.

The villagers walked away and returned to their original posts.

Regina turned back to Lucy. "Lucy, sweety. what happened?"

"My-my mother. Sh-she's dead."

"Oh, Lucy. I'm so sorry. Can you tell me how it happened?"

Lucy nodded. "A-a man. H-he came. My mother, she-she told me to hide, so-so I went to the well and lowered myself i-in and he-held myself above the water. I-I heard a scream so-so I climbed out of th-the well and saw my mother lying d-dead on the ground. Th-then it disappeared in bl-black smoke. Oh, Regina!" Lucy let out a wail.

"Shh, it's okay sweetheart. I can't bring your mother back, but I can give her a beautiful funeral. But we do need to discuss what we're going to do with you."

Lucy looked at Regina. "Where am I going to go?"

Regina bit her lip. "Well, and you don't have to do this, but I was. . . I was thinking of adopting you, if you would like."

"Are you serious?" said Lucy disbelievingly.

"Very. We can do it right now, if you want."

Lucy gave a small smile. "I'd like that."

Regina conjured up a short piece of paper. "Here," she said, giving the contract to Lucy. "Once you've read it, just sign here." Regina gave Lucy a red-feather pen.

"'This contract states that both child and adult agree to become family,'" quoted Lucy, before signing at bottom.

Regina signed the contract, and then gave it back to Lucy. "You can keep it."

Lucy smiled at Regina. "So what now?"

"Well, now, I'm going to take you to the palace and talk to the queen about getting you a room.

Regina grabbed Lucy's hand and disappeared into a silver cloud, appearing in Snow White and James' room, who were reading. James and Snow looked up.

"Who's this?" asked James.

Regina explained Lucy's predicament, and that she had recently adopted the little girl.

"Well, then it looks like we need to get you a room! Close to Regina's of course," said Snow, smiling at Lucy.

"Thank you, your majesty."

"Oh, you needn't call me that anymore! We're stepsisters now! Call me Snow!"

"And you can call me James," James added.

Lucy turned bright scarlet.

Regina and Lucy sat on the edge of Lucy's new bed.

"So, Lucy, honey, I want to go find that man who killed your mother before the funeral this Sunday. Can you tell me what he looked like?"

"Um, well, he had a, weird voice. It was really high. And, he had, like, crimped hair. His skin, was sparkly."

Regina paled. Lucy looked at her quizzically. "What is it? What's his name?"

"His name is Rumpelstiltskin."

*ominous music* I hope you liked this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it. I told you that Rumpelstiltskin would come in soon! Thank you to all of you that commented, followed, favorited, and read my story! I really appreciate it! Smell ya later!


	11. Rumpelstiltskin

"Rumpelstiltskin!" yelled Regina as she appeared in the Dark Castle. "You evil little imp, get over here!"

A man with scaly, sparkling skin and long, brown fingernails appeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"Lovely nickname dearie," he said maliciously. "However did you come up with it?"

"Why did you kill that mother today? What did she do to you?" asked Regina threateningly.

"Well she broke a deal! And nobody-"

"Yes, nobody breaks a deal with Rumpelstiltskin! I know! _Everyone_ knows! But what was the deal?"

"Why haven't I seen you in so long, dearie? You seem. . . different."

"Answer the question."

"You're in my castle. Answer _my_ questions, or you'll be out of here before you can say, well, Rumpelstiltskin!"

Regina sighed. "I'm not evil anymore. I asked for forgiveness a few years ago, and I've rightfully earned it."

"So that's why I sensed you when you were with Ella."

"What?" asked Regina. "How did you know I was with Ella?"

"I was trying to score a deal, of course! And you ruined it!"

Regina grinned. "Good. Now, what was the deal that Elena made?"

"Well, the woman's husband had recently died in an. . . unfortunate accident. There weren't a lot of jobs available. So, the woman-Elena-made a deal with me so that I wouldn't let her starve, as long as she gave me her child when the child was seven. Now-"

"Why seven?" asked Regina suspiciously.

"Why, seven's a lucky number, dearie!" Rumpelstiltskin, giving a laugh. "Now, Elena didn't think she would ever have a child, but a week later, she found out she was pregnant. Today, I came to collect my payment! I was just doing business! The girl, Lucinda, Lexy-"

"Lucy," growled Regina.

"Yes, her. She hid and I couldn't find her. So, I left."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Rumpelstiltskin fail at finding a child. I don't believe it."

Rumpelstiltskin grinned, showing mossy teeth. "Well, the girl wouldn't have gone with the man who killed her mother! I would have to come back as someone else. Like an old man. Or. . .perhaps. . . her new mother?"

"What do you want with her?" bellowed Regina. "What could you possibly need with a seven-year-old girl?"

"Well, since my last protege failed me. . . it's about time I got a new one."

The blood drained from Regina's face. "You're going to train her to cast the curse."

"Took you long enough, dearie."

"She would never do it! She would never do something that evil!"

"She might if her faithful Regina told her to."

"You stay away from her! You stay away!"

"Try and stop me. You'll fail."

Rumpelstiltskin flicked his hand towards Regina, and she was surrounded by black smoke.

"You will never have her! Not as long as I'm alive!" she called as she disappeared from the room.

Rumpelstiltskin grinned. "That can be arranged."

I hope you liked this chapter! Once again thank you to all of you who read, commented, favorited, and followed this story. The support means so much to me! :) Smell ya later!


	12. Double Coronation

People had come from all walks of life, from miles away, all just to arrive at the palace this winter evening. The sun was setting, splashing beautiful shades of purple and red across the steadily darkening horizon. A light snow was falling, dusting the grounds in white powder. Stars were twinkling merrily up in the sky, smiling down upon the kingdom. A small stage had been set up near the entrance of the palace, but right now it was empty. Hundreds of seats had been set up.

Regina was hurrying through the crowd, handing out coats to all those who needed them, which was most people. She was wearing a simple silver gown with a matching cloak. A lot of people were shivering, but Regina didn't mind. The cold never bothered her, anyway.

The clock on the palace chimed nine times. This was Regina's cue. She ran up to the base of the stage and trusted her hands at it. The stage was immediately bathed in a warm, silvery glow. The audience clapped, and Regina gave a small curtsy before hurrying to a seat in the middle of the front row, where Granny, Red, the seven dwarves, and other friends resided.

As Snow and James walked onto the stage, the crowd erupted in a deafening applause. It took a few minutes to get them to calm down.

"Citizens of this wonderful kingdom!"said James. "We are all so glad that you have come here to celebrate the coronation of our beautiful new child."

"People have come from all over the kingdom to welcome this new part of the royal family!" Snow joined in. "I am overjoyed to present to you the someday queen of this kingdom: Emma!"

Snow held up her three-month-old child for the crowd to see. The kingdom roared with delight. Emma merely giggled, unfazed by the noise, for her step-grandmother had put a muffling spell over her, so all the little girl could hear was a whisper.

"If we could please have the crown?" called James down to Regina.

Regina stood up and walked up to the stage. In a small puff of silver smoke, a tiny silver crown appeared in her hand. She walked up to baby Emma, and set it delicately on her head.

"Now, Regina will also be commencing the blessing!" said Snow.

Regina shot Snow a nervous look. "I thought that Blue was supposed to do it!" Regina whispered to her stepdaughter. The Blue Fairy, who was sitting in the crowd, seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Yes, but I think it should be you. You're her grandmother, after all."

Regina gave a small smile. She kneeled over Emma and gave her a kiss on the forehead. The crowd erupted into applause once more, and Regina sat back down in the front row, Blue glaring at her from five seats away.

"That is not all, however!" said James excitedly. "We do have another addition to the family to be introduced."

The crowd murmured was the king talking about?

"As most of you know, many years ago, Regina, or the Silver Sorceress, went on a journey to find forgiveness. for her troubled past. On this journey, Regina became friends with a little girl. Not long ago, this little girl lost her mother. Regina decided to adopt this little girl, making her a part of the family."

"It is my honor to introduce to you, the new princess, Lucy!"

Lucy walked onstage from behind, shaking like a leaf. She was wearing a simple blue gown, and her red hair was in ringlets. Her face was completely devoid of makeup, and she had a shaky smile on her face. The crowd was applauding with gusto. Lucy walked over and stood by Snow and James.

"Regina, would you do the honors?" asked Snow.

Regina walked onstage again and produced a circular silver crown adorned with matching leaves and placed it delicately on Lucy's head. Then, for the blessing, she placed a kiss on Lucy's forehead.

"Welcome, Princess Lucy."

I LOVED writing this chapter. It was fun writing an easygoing chapter after such an angsty chapter last time. Thank you so much to all the people who read, commented, favorited, and followed this story! It means a lot to me! Smell ya later!


	13. Sneaking Out

Lucy looked out her chamber window. The sun was rising, spreading light across the early morning horizon. It was about five o'clock. None of the royals in the castle were up yet; most of them slept until eight or nine. It was perfect timing.

Lucy slipped out of bed and quietly closed her chamber door. She changed from her white nightdress into her plain, brown dress that she had ripped and covered in mud the previous day. Then, to finish it off, she slipped on some brown boots and covered herself with a black cloak, making sure to cover her fiery scarlet hair.

Regina had warned Lucy all about the man named Rumpelstiltskin. However, Lucy had still had to stay in the castle for the last four years. She had a private tutor, an inside greenhouse, and a library full of books to occupy her time. Yet, Lucy eventually exceeded her tutor's intelligence, filled up the greenhouse, and read all of the books in the library.

Lucy cautiously opened her door, peering behind the frame to check for a clear coast. She tiptoed out of her room. She looked down the hall and saw that Regina's door was closed, and soft snores could be heard. Lucy turned to walk down the stair from the tower, only to see a little blond-haired girl blocking her way.

"Whatcha doin', Lucy?" asked four-year-old Emma, rocking back and forth on the heels of her shoes.

"Emma!" said Lucy! "Go back to bed! You're not supposed to be up yet!"

"Neither are you," Emma chimed in response.

"Please go!"

Emma looked at her aunt with puppy eyes. "But I want to come with you!"

Lucy picked up her niece and began carrying her down the stairs to her bedroom.

"Luuucccccyyyy!" wailed Emma, kicking at her aunt's chest.

"Please be quiet!"

Emma merely wailed louder.

"Okay, if I let you come with me will you be quiet?!"

Emma grinned toothily.

Ten minutes later, Emma was wearing a similar dress to her aunt's and a black cloak.

"Come on," whispered Lucy, grabbing Emma's hand and guiding her out of the castle.

As they reached the door, Emma tugged on Lucy's hand. "We're not supposed to leave without a grown-up!"

Lucy grinned. "I know."

Emma hesitated, but then smiled back, and they walked out the doors.

Lucy took a deep breath. It felt wonderful to be outside again, to feel the snow falling on her arms, and to hear piles of it crunch underneath her boots.

"Let's go to the market first! You have to see it!" Unlike Lucy, Emma had been out of the castle frequently.

"Okay. I've never been there."

Emma led Lucy by the hand and walked to the market. As Emma crossed the road, Lucy saw a man on horseback galloping towards her niece.

"Emma!" she cried, jumping and shoving her niece out of the road. Unfortunately, the horse was now mere feet away, so Lucy ducked down as low as she could, and as she let out a shriek, the horse jumped over her with a whinney.

"Stay out of the road, kid!" yelled the man over his shoulder.

Lucy got up from the dirt road and checked herself. No injuries, but she had only been outside a few minutes and she had already nearly been killed. Lucy walked over to Emma.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked her niece.

Emma nodded with wide eyes. "Are you?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's go."

The girls walked off, looking at all of the different booths. People sold everything from fruits to jewelry to animal hides. A lot of interesting people were there, too. The girls saw an old hag with an eyepatch, a plump man with leathery skin who might have been a troll, and someone with a brown hood covering their face.

When the girls passed a bakery stand, Emma begged Lucy to let her buy a cupcake.

"Sure!" said Lucy, and she handed Emma a handful of coins. "Only buy one."

"Thanks!" Emma skipped off to the bakery section, and Lucy was about go look at a book booth when a voice stopped her cold.

"Lovely cloak you're wearing, dearie."

Lucy whipped around. Regina had told her about the funny way this man talked. The man lowered his hood slightly, so that only Lucy could see his face, and grinned, showing his mossy teeth.

"Rumpelstiltskin," said Lucy, glaring at the man, though she was shaking with fear on the inside.

"That's me!"

"I know that you want me to cast your stupid curse. I won't do it."

"Are you quite sure?"

"Very."

"Well, that's about to change."

At that moment, Emma came running towards Lucy, cupcake icing smeared cloak, presumably where she had wiped her mouth. As she ran past Rumpelstiltskin, he grabbed the hood of her cloak and pulled her back, keeping her there.

"Hey!" Emma said to the man, only to have her eyes widen at the sight of his face. Her lip trembled, and she opened her mouth to let out a wail of fear. . . .

Only to start laughing her head off. "Your face is sparkly!" she giggled, pointing at Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned at Emma. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

Emma giggled. "You're funny."

Rumpelstiltskin scowled. "I'm not supposed to be funny. I'm supposed to be terrifying and otherworldly."

Emma giggled again. Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes, and then snapped his fingers, and Emma disappeared.

Lucy gasped, and then ran at Rumpelstiltskin, only to be frozen, unable to move.

"What did you do to her?!" growled Lucy, struggling against the invisible bindings.

"Well, dearie, she's currently locked in the dungeon in my castle in the mountains," replied Rumpelstiltskin, who was smiling once again.

"Let her go!" yelled Lucy. Then, she noticed something peculiar. Nobody seemed to notice an eleven-year-old being kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. "Why can nobody hear me?"

Rumpelstiltskin's smile widened. "I cast a spell. I do that."

"Then undo it!"

"I'm afraid I can't. Well, actually, I won't."

"What do I have to do to get her out, you evil little imp?!"

"It's amazing how similar you are to your mother, even with no relation," Rumpelstiltskin muttered to himself. "Well, you can either come with me and do what I say, or your niece dies a painful death."

"Fine," said Lucy immediately. "Just take me already."

"Perfect."

Rumpelstiltskin outstretched his long-nailed hand. Lucy hesitated, and then looked the imp in the eye, and grabbed his hand.

Hi guys! I am SO sorry for the delay. I completely forgot to post this morning. This is one of my favorite chapters. Anyway, Belle will be coming in very soon! Thank you so much to all of you who read, favorited, followed, and commented on this story. Smell ya later!


	14. Prisoners

Lucy yelled in frustration. She had been in this cell for four hours, and the only thing Rumpelstiltskin had said to her was "wait" and smiled his impish little smile. A pitcher of water and a plate of soup kept refilling for her and her sister, but Lucy wanted _answers_. Why could she cast the curse? Why did she need to? And what would he do to Emma if she didn't go along with his plans?

Emma was quietly sobbing in the corner. Lucy sidled up to her.

"Don't worry, Ems. We'll be out of here soon."

"Oh, but I do beg to differ."

Rumpelstiltskin had entered the room, smiling evilly. Lucy stood up and grabbed the bars of the cell. "Let us out," she said firmly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that dearie. You see, I need you."

"Why?" growled Lucy. "Why do you need me?"

"That is confidential."

"I am doing this for you! At least answer my questions! It's not like I can go anywhere."

"Actually, you are doing this for the little girl. But you do have a point. Grab my hand and I'll bring you to a room. Try anything, and your sister dies."

Emma raised an eyebrow. The last time she had grabbed the imp's hand, she ended up in a jail cell. But what choice did she have? If she wanted answers, she had to do this.

"I'll be back soon, Emma," said Lucy to her niece, and she put a hand on her shoulder.

Lucy stepped up between the bars and took Rumpelstiltskin's outstretched hand. She immediately faded away and appeared in a room. The rooms was small, with no windows. The wallpaper looked old, but made new recently. It had a fireplace, and two squashy armchairs facing each other, with a coffee table between them.

"Well, sit down," said Rumpelstiltskin, gesturing to one of the armchairs.

Lucy eyed him, and then sat down.

"Coffee?" he offered. "Tea? Water? Lemonade?"

"What about answers?" replied Lucy with a scowl.

Rumpelstiltskin grinned. "Feisty. What do you want to know?"

"Why do I need to do this? Why can only I do it? Why now? Why not earlier? Is this why you killed my mother? Why-"

"Slow down. I can only be so fast. The first question, I can't and won't answer. The second. It's not just you that can do it. It has to be someone who has the magic to do incredible things, whether it will happen or it has. I'm doing it now, because, well, I want to. This is why I killed your mother, Elena, was it?"

"What about-"

"That's it for now. Now, shall we begin the curse, or would you like to never see your niece again."

"I have no choice, do I?"

"That is correct."

For the next hour, Rumpelstiltskin told lucy all about the theory off the curse, what she would need to do, and what would happen when she cast it. Lucy was barely listening, she just occasionally nodded her head.

"Did you get all that?" he asked when he was done.

"Yep."

"Good."

Rumpelstiltskin grabbed Lucy's hand and Lucy was back in the cell, where Emma was quietly sniffling on the floor. Lucy sat down by her little niece and snuggled up to her.

"Don't worry. We'll be out of her soon."

Lucy and Emma drifted to sleep in the cell, wishing they were home.

 _Eight-year-old Lucy sat on her bed with Regina._

" _When will you teach me magic?" the little girl asked eagerly._

" _When you're ready."_

" _When's that supposed to be?"_

" _Eleven."_

" _Why eleven? Why not now?"_

" _Eleven is when your magic is at its peak. At that age, you can do practically any magic just by thinking about it; no theory needed. If you start learning magic then, then you might be able to do magic without theory your whole life."_

" _That sounds cool! Do I have magic now?"_

" _Yes, but very deep inside of you."_

" _I can't wait to be eleven."_

Lucy woke up with a start. At first she got scared, being in an unfamiliar place, but then she remembered the day's events. What time was it? There were no windows in the dungeon, so you couldn't tell if it was night or day. Emma was still sleeping sweetly beside Lucy, her head in Lucy's lap.

Lucy thought about the dream she just had. No, not dream, memory. Why would she dream this now? She'd never dreamed a memory before. Most of the time, her dreams were relevant to something that was going on, as if her self conscious was sending her a message. Lucy thought hard about what the memory could mean. Then it hit her.

"Emma!" Lucy whispered to her niece. "Emma wake up!"

The little girl's eyes fluttered open and she looked around her. She had been dreaming that she was at the palace with Snow, Regina, and Lucy. They were all having a teaparty. It was comforting. As Emma recognised the dungeon, her lip began to tremble, threatening her to burst into tears.

"Shh, Emma, it's okay! I know a way to get us out of here! You just have to be very quiet."

Emma nodded, a small grin creeping onto her face.

"Stand back," said Lucy, and Emma took a few steps back.

Lucy focused hard on one of the walls of the dungeon. She pictured a portal that led to Lucy's room in the palace. The portal would close after five seconds, and after that, it could not be reopened, just in case Rumpelstiltskin tried to go in after them.

Immediately, a swirling, purple portal appeared on the wall of the cell.

"Alright, on three, we jump in together. One."

A clickety clackety noise of boots began to appear. Rumpelstiltskin!

"Two."

A scaly face came into view of the cell.

"Three!"

Lucy jumped as hard as she could, Emma in her arms. Rumpelstiltskin let out a roar of rage and grabbed hold of Lucy's foot through the bars. Lucy let go of Emma and flung her through the portal. Emma disappeared with a shriek, and then the portal was gone.

Lucy was stuck here.

I hope you guys liked this! I was debating whether or not to have both of the girls be put through the portal, but I changed my mind. Thank you so much to all of you that read, followed, favorited, and commented on my story. Smell ya later!


	15. Belle

"No!" shrieked Lucy, hand still outstretched.

She was lying on the ground on her stomach, inches from where the portal had been. Emma had made it through, but Rumpelstiltskin had grabbed hold at the last second.

Lucy stood back up and looked at Rumpelstiltskin, seething with rage. She looked just about ready to explode, but she knew she couldn't. She had to get the best of this monster. So, Lucy looked Rumpelstiltskin in the eye, and smirked. The smile he had adorned after keeping Lucy from escaping melted from his face.

"What is it?"

Lucy merely smirked.

"What?!"

"You no longer have any leverage. You can't make me do anything."

Rumpelstiltskin gritted his teeth. "That may be true right now, but I'll find something soon."

Lucy turned her back to the imp. "You do that."

"I will," he hissed, and left.

As soon as Rumpelstiltskin had gone, Lucy banged her head against the wall. How could she have been so stupid as to make it so no more portals could be opened in the cell? Even if Rumpelstiltskin had followed, Regina would be there. She was more than a match for the sorcerer. Now her niece was gone, probably with no idea of what to do.

Lucy slid down the wall into a crouched position. She put her hands over her ears. She was stuck here until she turned just as evil as Regina used to be. Maybe worse. But she wouldn't cry. For now, she wouldn't succumb to the darkness that she knew would soon begin to stir inside of her.

Emma ran from her aunt's room into her parents', who had just awakened.

"Mommy!" cried, Emma, jumping on top of her mother, who let out a yelp, waking Regina, causing her to run into the room.

"What is it, sweetheart?" asked James.

"It's-it's Lucy!" she wailed.

"What about her?" asked Regina, a sense of fear creeping up on her.

"She-she snu-snuck out to see the village. A wi-wizard grabbed me-me and threatened to ki-kill me if Lucy didn't come wi-with him! Lucy ma-made a portal from-from magic, but the wizard ke-kept her from coming through!"

A small sense of pride mingled with horror inside of Regina. "Rumpelstiltskin! He's going to have her cast the curse! I have to go save her!"

"We should come, too!" said James, sitting up.

"No. You need to watch over Emma. She's been through so much. I'll be fine on my own."

"But how will you get Lucy back?" asked Snow, concerned.

"I have an idea," replied Regina grimly, before fading away.

Regina appeared in the room of a tower, now wearing a silver tunic and matching pants, as well as a sword in a hilt. Inside of the room was a bed, a shelve of books, and a door that was always locked from the outside. It held the one prisoner that Regina had forgotten.

A woman with long brown hair and wearing a white nightdress was sitting straight up in the bed, staring at Regina with wide, scared eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a small tremble in her voice.

"Belle," said Regina, her eyes full of sorrow. "I'm here to apologize."

Belle didn't dare to believe it. Was she going to be freed?

"Eight years ago, I went on a trip to earn forgiveness. The only prisoner I forgot to let free was you. I am so sorry for all of the hurt I have caused you. I know that you might never forgive me, and I understand. I am here asking for your help."

"Why should I help you after what you did to me?" asked Belle incredulously.

"Rumpelstiltskin has kidnapped my adopted daughter, Lucy. He means to get her to cast a curse. I was hoping that you could help me change his mind."

"Rumpelstiltskin?" asked Belle.

"Yes. Will you please help me?" Regina looked at Belle with pleading eyes. "Please?"

"If you will let me free, I will help you."

"Thank you!"

Regina waved her hands, and Belle was put back in the red tunic, grey pants, and brown boots she was wearing before.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Regina and Belle appeared at the entrance of the Dark Castle.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" called Regina.

Rumpelstiltskin appeared.

"Where's Lucy?" asked Regina angrily. "What have you done with her?"

Rumpelstiltskin snapped his fingers. Lucy appeared in midair, wrapped in ropes.

Lucy struggled hard against her bindings. What did the imp want now.

"Why the-" Lucy stopped mid yell as she spotted Regina. "Regina. . . ?"

"Ooh, what a lovely family reunion!" said Rumpelstiltskin with an imp. "Now surely you weren't stupid enough to come here without a plan?"

"I'm not one for stupidity," replied Regina.

A woman stepped out of the shadows with long brown hair in a bun.

"Hello, Rumple."

Rumpelstiltskin stared at the woman incredulously. "Belle? I thought. . . I thought you were dead."

"I'm not. But we have more important topics. Why are you keeping this girl hostage?"

"She's the only way I can get back to my son! Back to Bae!"

"You can find love a different way! Bae is long gone!"

"But I have to take a chance!"

This was going nowhere. Lucy had to act now. She thought hard and scrunched up her eyes. Suddenly, the ropes burst into flames and fell to the ground. Lucy dropped with them and scrambled to her feet.

Rumpelstiltskin stared. Then, he shot an icy blast at Lucy, attempting to freeze her, only to have it blocked by an invisible shield. Lucy ran over to Regina and glared at Rumpelstiltskin.

"Never underestimate a ticked off eleven-year-old girl," she said.

Belle stepped closer to Rumpelstiltskin.

"You don't have to do this," said Belle.

"Yes I do!"

Regina grabbed hold of Lucy's hand.

'Let's go," she said, and she and her daughter faded away.


	16. Training

When Lucy had arrived home, she had gotten the scolding of her life. But, nonetheless, Regina had decided to give Lucy magic lessons.

Lucy sat in the wooden chair, excitement lighting up her eyes. She had been waiting for this moment for so long; it was finally happening! Regina sat across from her, a small smile on her face.

"As you know, I am angry with you for sneaking out-"

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't interrupt people while they're speaking, dear. It's rude. Anyway, I am angry with you for sneaking out, but you produced some incredible magic for you and Emma to escape."

Lucy went crimson.

"If we nurse that magic now, it'll be just as easy to do it when you're older and need it. When you are older, I want you to continue spreading good and granting wishes, like I do now. You'll need a name for yourself, like-"

"I already have one. I'll be the Crimson Cardinal."

"Lucy."

"Sorry, Mom."

Regina's heart swelled. Lucy had called her _Mom_. Had she really meant it, or was it a mistake?"

"Er, Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"You just called me mom."

"Oh." Lucy gave a small smile. "I guess I did."

"Er, anyway. . . magic! Yeah, magic. Your magic came so easily while you were with Rumpelstiltskin because you were desperate, and your emotions were running high. Most of the time, however, you'll need to work up the emotion to create magic."

For the rest of the day, they began to practice magic. Regina had been right; it was hard to work up the emotion for magic. She tried for hours and hours, with nothing. Nothing at all.

"I can't do this!" said Lucy, frustration leaking from her words.

"Yes you can," said Regina. "Try to feel the way you felt when Emma was born. Or when she took her first steps. Or just a happy memory."

Lucy scrunched up her face comically, trying to retrieve a happy memory. Finally, she found one.

 _Eight-year-old Lucy was sitting down on the soft floor of her room with baby Emma, who was crawling around like a spider. Lucy watched her little niece and giggled. She was adorable, but you couldn't tell that she was the princess. With blonde hair growing in fluffy tufts from her head, she looked like she belonged to someone else._

 _Emma crawled towards Lucy and sat in her lap. Since James and Snow had to do a lot of jobs for the kingdom, Lucy babysat Emma quite frequently. Emma waved her fist in front of Lucy's face, a smile on her face. She opened her mouth, and then she said something._

" _Lucy."_

 _Lucy's eyes widened. "Regina!" she called. "Regina!"_

 _Regina ran into the room. "What, what is it?"_

" _Emma spoke her first word!"_

" _What? What was it?"_

" _It was my name. Lucy."_

Lucy waved her hands at the table in front of her, and red smoke surrounded it. When the smoke cleared, there were two large, delicious-looking cupcakes.

Regina stared at her daughter. "Cupcakes? Really?"

"What?" said Lucy with a small grin. "I was hungry. I got you one two."

Regina smiled, and the two dug into their cupcakes, wishing this moment could last forever.

I hope you guys liked it! Thank you so much to all of you who followed, read, favorited, and commented on this story. Smell ya later!


	17. Just Need a Friend

Emma sat on her bed wearing her flowy white underdress. She stared out the window and watched the sunset longingly. Tonight was her first official ball, celebrating her twelfth birthday. But Emma was anything but happy.

A knock sounded at the door, jerking Emma away from the reds and oranges spreading across the darkening sky.

"Come in," called Emma.

Her aunt, Lucy, stepped into the doorway. Over the last few years, Lucy had continued spreading good with Regina. She was now known as the Crimson Cardinal. For the ball, Lucy had half of her red hair in a tight bun resting on top of her head, and the rest was cascading down her back in a waterfall of color. She wore a simple, strapless red dress that went down to the floor, showing only the tips of red flats with ribbons going up her ankles.

"What's wrong, Emma?" she asked, brows creased in frustration. "You never called me in to make your dress."

Emma sighed. "Nothing." Emma frequently tried to hide her emotions, but Lucy could see right through the barriers.

"Emma. You can tell me anything."

Silence.

"Emma. . . . "

"I don't have any friends!" Emma burst out.

"What? You have me."

"Well, yes, and you're an awesome friend, except getting me kidnapped when I was four-"

"Whatever!"

"-but I don't have any friends my age. All of the village kids are intimidated by me, and they call me "Your Majesty". I have a name!"

"How long have you felt this way?"

"I dunno. A while. But mostly now, because I was so excited to go to a ball with a friend-besides you-and now I don't have a friend to go with! I'll be all alone!"

"Oh, Emma, is there anything I can do?"

"No. Can you please just make me a dress so I can go down to the ball in fifteen minutes."

"Okay." Lucy waved her hands, and Emma was now wearing a deep blue ball gown and matching high heels. Her hair was put in a simple but elegant ponytail. "Just call for me if you need anything."

Emma nodded and stared back at the window. Lucy was filled with sadness. Her niece was alone and she couldn't do anything about it. Or, or maybe. . . no, it wouldn't work. But could it?

Lucy closed her eyes, and pictured herself finding someone who needed a friend as much as Emma did. She disappeared in a cloud of scarlet smoke and reappeared on the edge of a forest. In front of her was a bunch of metal machines that buzzed loudly and moved without horses. Where was she.

"Who are you?" peeped a small voice.

Lucy turned and saw a boy about twelve staring at her with interest, but did not seem to be surprised that someone appeared in a cloud of red smoke before him.

"I am the Crimson Cardinal. Who are you?"

"My name is. . . is Neal."

Lucy could sense that the boy was lying, but she didn't care. "Hello, Neal. Where am I?"

"I don't know. I think this place is called New York; I heard some people say it. Why are you here?"

Lucy decided to be honest with the boy. "My niece is lonely. I am looking for someone who needs a friend so that she can have one."

Neal perked up. "I need a friend."

Lucy smiled. "Great! But, I would need to take you to a different land. It's called-"

"The Enchanted Forest. I thought so. You dress like people over there. I've been there."

"Wonderful! But your parents-"

"Don't have any," said Neal quickly.

"Alright. But, you should meet her at the ball. Here."

Lucy waved her hands and Neal was suddenly wearing a handsome tunic and pants combo, with brown leather boots.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now, the ball starts soon, and you need to be there before Emma shows up. Alright, grab my hand."

Neal hesitated, looking at Lucy's outstretched hand. Then, he grabbed it tight, and disappeared in red smoke.

As they reappeared, Lucy looked at the clocktower.

"Oh, we're right on time. Let's go."

She let go of Neal's hand and they walked into the palace ballroom together. The queen was finishing her speech.

"and I happily present, the now twelve-year-old Princess Emma!"

Everyone's gazes turned to the staircase at the side of the ballroom. A gasp spread over the room. A girl with long, blonde hair was walking down the stairs, dressed in a beautiful blue gown. Neal lost his breath. She was beautiful.

Applause swept around the room, and Emma bowed, her face turning red. As people began to dance, Emma spotted Lucy and ran over to her.

"What are you doing here?"she asked, then looked over at Neal. "And who is he?"

"His name is Neal. And he is in as big of a need for a friend as you are."

Emma's face turned redder, and it looked like she was about to yell, but then she deflated.

"Thank you."

Lucy smiled. "You're welcome. I'll leave you two."

"Hi," said Emma.

"Hi," said Neal.

"So, um, do you, er, wanna dance? Or get some cake?"

"Sure. Let's . . . dance."

Neal was frustrated. This girl seemed so kind; how could he only be friends with her?

Emma was trying not to blush. Could this guy tell how much she was crushing on him?

The two children danced into the night, ignoring their predicaments. Perhaps they would find out each other's feelings. Perhaps not. All that was certain was that they were no longer alone.

That's right; Neal has returned! I hoped you liked this chapter! Thank you to all of you that commented, followed, favorited, and read my story. Also, to answer a question in the comments, I'm afraid that I did not find a way to work Robin into the story, even though I said that he would come in. I apologize, but I hope you will still enjoy the story! Smell ya later!


	18. Perhaps

"Come on, come on! We're gonna miss it!"

"Geese, I'm coming. What is it we're seeing, anyway?"

"You'll find out! Now hurry up, you're slower than a horse with no legs!"

Sixteen-year-old Emma was tugging Neal along by his wrist through the snowy forest. She had told Snow and James that she was out with Lucy. Lucy was in on the act, though she went along reluctantly. Hopefully, Emma's parents would never find out.

"Seriously, Em, where are you taking me?"

Emma gave a mischievous grin. "You'll see. Now come on, ya snail!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

They ran through the snowy hills for a few more minutes, before trekking up to the very top of the highest hill. They stood up there and looked across the black horizon.

"What is it? Did you drag me up here just to see the sky? Because I can see that any old-"

Neal was cut off as a burst of color erupted at the edge of the horizon. It rapidly spread across the sky until it lit up the whole sky with its dark glow.

"What is that?" breathed Neal.

"It's magic. At precisely eleven in the evening, the sky is lit up by the residue of magic used that day. It lasts until midnight, and you can only see it from this hill.

"It's amazing."

"Right?"

A white powder began to fall from the sky. Emma smiled.

"It's snowing."

"Yeah."

Neal looked at Emma.

Emma looked at Neal.

Snow dusted the top of her blonde hair.

Snow dusted the top of his brown hair.

He looked into her green eyes.

She looked into his grey eyes.

Perhaps. . . .

Perhaps. . . .

They leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting in the meeting in the middle. They kissed for a moment, and then broke apart.

Neal turned bright red. Emma pinked and grinned.

Um . . . ," Emma giggled.

The two stayed up on the hill and stared at the sky for the rest of the night.

Ooooooooohhhhhh. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for all of you who commented, read, favorited, and followed this story. Smell ya later!


	19. If We Don't Make It Out Alive

The beach was beautiful this early in the morning. The sky seemed to be coated in thick, black tar, and then sprinkled with little white lights that twinkled. Neal and Emma sat on the sandy shore, hands gripped tight. It had been two years since the two had become more than just friends. At first they were nervous; could a friendship going on for four year be ruined by a serious relationship? But they risked it anyway.

Emma's coronation was tonight at midnight, and she had been stressing about it for weeks. Concerned for her, Neal proposed that they go to the beach and relax for a few hours. Emma agreed; she wanted something on her mind besides the coronation.

Emma lay her head on Neal's shoulder.

"This is amazing."

"I agree."

"If only we had a towel."

Emma grinned. Regina had been recently teaching Emma magic, and she was eager to try it out. She couldn't begin when she was eleven because there had been a huge crop failure that year and Regina had to help regrow everything. They only just remembered six months ago. Neal had been purposely making small requests (at Emma's request) so that Emma could practice.

Emma waved her hands at the ground and a periwinkle blue towel appeared to the right of the couple, who scooted over and sat down on the soft fabric. After lying there for a few minutes, Emma sat up.

"Let's have a swim."

"Alright."

The two waded out to the water and stepped in. It was delightfully cool. They waded out to the point where there toes were inches from the sandy bottom. The two swam and splashed, laughing heartily.

Out of the blue, a suctioning noise erupted, as if someone were pulling a stopper out of a drain.

"What is that?" Emma yelled over the noise.

"I don't know!" Neal called back.

A tugging sensation began to reach Emma's feet. She looked down and saw a miniscule whirlpool at her feet, steadily getting bigger.

"We should probably head back to shore," said Emma.

Almost as if it had heard her exclamation, the whirlpool tripled inside, dragging Emma and Neal away from the shore.

"What's happening?!" bellowed Neal.

Emma merely let out a shriek as she was sucked underwater for a moment. She resurfaced, gasping and spluttering.

"We need to get help!"

"Can you use your magic?"

"I can't! It's not strong enough!"

Emma felt as though a weight had dropped into her stomach. They might die because of her lack of talent.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled.

"Don't be! We're going to be fine!"

The whirlpool was growing fast, now threatening to pull the two underwater. They struggled mightily, and whenever they tried to call for help, they were dragged under.

"Emma!" called Neal over the roar of the waves.

"It's okay, we're gonna get out of here-"

"Emma!"

"We're going to be fine-"

"Emma!" Neal shouted.

Emma's eyes met Neal's.

"Emma, if we don't get out of here-"

"We will-"

"If we don't get out of here alive, Emma, I want you to know that I love you. To the ends of this world and the next. If we get out of here alive, then Emma, will you marry me?"

Emma was stunned. She stared for a moment.

"Yes. A billion times, yes."

And they were dragged under.

A small figure hovered in the air, unnoticed, at the edge of the shore. A small, sly grin adorned her features. Pleased with her handiwork, the Blue Fairy turned and flew away, her mission accomplished.

Yes, I did just do that! Thank you so much for reading, commenting, favoriting, and following this story so far! I can't wait to post the next chapter! Smell ya later!


	20. The White Swan

As she was shoved under, Emma felt something ripple through her. It felt powerful, unstoppable. Emma's grip on Neal's wrist suddenly became vice like. She shot one hand up into the hair and hugged Neal close.

With an earsplitting scream, the couple flew into the air, engulfed in white flames. They shot through the air in an arc, abandoning the sea. They began to fall with just as much speed, but they seemed to be protected by the flames. At about ten feet above the ground, the flames flickered and went out, letting the couple fall to the sandy beach like a cannonball.

Emma fell into a heap on the shore. She couldn't feel anything. Neal crawled over to her and looked at her. She was so ghostly pale that you could see her veins. Her chest was rising with shallow breaths, and her eyes were bloodshot. Even her hair had turned white.

"Oh my gosh, Emma, you need help!" cried Neal.

"Help . . . coming. . . ." Emma gasped and then she fell unconscious.

"Oh no, oh no, Emma! Help! Help! He-"

Lucy arrived first in a cloud of red smoke, followed mere seconds after by Regina in a silver cloud.

"What happened?!" asked Lucy incredulously, looking over her niece.

"We saw the distress signal and came as soon as we could," said Regina.

"We were swimming, when some whirlpool thing appeared at Emma's foot. It grew and sucked us in and away from shore. Then we. . . ," Neal paused. Should he tell them about the proposal? "We got sucked under. Emma shot her hand up and then we flew through the air and landed here."

Regina's and Lucy's eyes widened. "Emma did that?!" they asked in unison.

"Yeah. I dunno how."

"Come on," said Regina. "We need to get her safe."

Lucy picked up Emma and disappeared in a cloud of red. Regina grabbed Neal's hand and they disappeared in a cloud of silver, reappearing in a large, white stone room lit by torches. There were no windows, and five beds were there with bedside tables. There was a faucet where one could get clean water, and cabinets full of medicine. Neal recognised it as the infirmary Regina had set up with a few fairies years ago.

Lucy lay Emma down on a bed, and ran to cabinets. Emma was slowly getting paler, her veins becoming more and more visible.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Neal urgently.

No answer. "Sit down," said Regina, pointing to a bed by Emma's.

"Is she?"

"Sit down!"

Neal obliged, and sat down on the soft white sheets of the bed.

"Are you hurt?" asked Regina.

"Um, my right leg feels broken."

"We'll see."

Regina knelt over Neal's leg and examined it. "Yep," she said after a moment. "Definitely broken."

She ran to the cabinets and retrieved a large and lethal looking syringe. She tapped it and it filling with purple liquid, that bubbled inside. She walked towards Neal, who instinctively scooted back.

"Oh, it's just a needle."

Neal eyed it warily and then scooted forwards again. Regina gripped the needle, positioned it over Neal's leg, and pressed down.

Neal let out a yell as pain shot through his leg. The purple liquid felt hot, very hot.

"What the heck was in that?!"

"Knochenheiler. Heals broken bones. You'll be fine in fifteen minutes. For now just rest."

Neal shot a glare at Regina when she turned her back, but then he saw Emma again. She was even paler. When Lucy and Regina weren't looking, he picked up Emma's wrist and felt. The pulse was barely there.

"What's going on! Where's Emma?!"

"What happened to her?!"

Snow and James burst through the doors, concerned looks adorning their faces.

"Why didn't any of you come and get us?!" asked Snow.

"Not enough time," replied Regina curtly.

The two ran over to Emma, hands clasped. "Why is she like this? What's wrong?" James asked Lily.

"She did some pretty extreme magic to escape the whirlpool, James. Even Reina and I couldn't have done it. It affected her even more since she was completely trained yet. It drained her."

"Can you save her?" asked Neal.

No answer.

For the next hour, fairies rushed around Emma, using different salves, creams, potions, spells, and syringes. There was no change, and her heartbeat was getting ever fainter. Finally, they all stepped away.

"I put in one last medicine. It'll take fifteen minutes to take effect, if it does," said Regina.

Neal leaned over Emma. As he studied her face, he saw something shining on the floor. He leaned over and picked it up. It was two gold bands, each with half a heart on them. How did they get there. He leaned back over Emma, ready to drop them back on the floor, when he was struck with an idea. Neal took one ring, and put it on his finger. He picked up Emma's hand, and put the other one delicately on hers. If she were to die, Neal wanted to make it official.

Emma let out a deafening gasp and sat straight up, nearly knocking her head into Neal's.

"Oh my gosh, oh my-Regina! Lily! Snow! James!"

The four came running back into view. "What is it-oh my gosh!" Regina stared at Emma. "How?"

"I, I just put this ring on her and she woke up!"

"Well, you'd better not take it off!"

Snow and James shoved to the front of Emma's bed and hugged her.

"What's happening?" asked Emma, mildly confused. "All I remember is the whirlpool taking us under, and then, um. . . ." Emma turned red at the last part, remembering the proposal. "Then it all went black."

"Emma, you saved us!" exclaimed Neal. "You shot some magic and made us fly out of the whirlpool before we drowned!"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about this?"

For the rest of the day, Emma lay in bed, resting, as people came and greeted her, complimented her on her magic, and wished her well. Neal and Emma still hadn't told Snow and James about the engagement yet, but they would get to that later. However, the paleness of Emma's skin only subsided slightly. You could no longer see her veins, but she was still as white as snow. It would be like that forever. Because of Emma's magic, and the color of her magic, she decided to be known as the White Swan.

The Blue Fairy fluttered about her flower, collecting things here and there. Emma and Neal weren't supposed to survive. Emma was being taught magic by Regina. The Evil Queen! And Neal was associated with her, so he had to go to. Regina was surely spreading her evil ways onto Emma, and she was planning to reveal her true purpose soon. Blue had to escape. What if Emma had seen her?

Blue grabbed her small suitcase in her hand and took a deep breath. With a small pop, Blue disappeared, never to return again.

Hey guys! I am SO sorry for the late update. For some reason, Fanfiction wouldn't let me into my account. Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting, and commenting on my story! It means so much! Smell ya later!


	21. You May Kiss the Queen

Neal was shaking like a leaf. He was standing at the end of the aisle, completely on his own, staring at hundreds of people, half of whom were glaring at him. He was wearing a very nice, clean-cut suit. Of course it fit perfectly (Lucy had made it), but right now he was sweating so much it felt tight.

Because of the injuries done to Emma and Neal, the coronation had been postponed one month later. And, since the two had become engaged, they also needed a wedding, so they combined the two. Emma would get crowned queen before she got married (and Neal would be crowned KIng, since he was marrying the Queen).

Neal remembered when he first told Emma's parents' about the engagement. He grinned at the thought.

 _Emma and Neal gripped their hands tightly together. Neal took a deep breath._

" _Don't worry," said Emma, squeezing Neal's hand. "It'll be fine."_

" _I know."_

 _Emma knocked on her parents' door to their room._

" _Come in!" called James from inside._

 _Snow and James were sitting on the bed, reading their ways through the many bookshelves in their room. They looked up at the two._

" _What is it?" asked Snow._

" _Um. . . ." Neal had no idea how to say this._

" _Well, Mom, Dad, this may be hard for you to take in, but," Emma took a deep breath, "Neal and I are engaged."_

 _There was a pause. Then Snow and James laughed. Emma frowned._

" _What is it?"_

" _Sweety, how could you think we didn't know?" asked James. "The ring Neal put on you was on your ring finger. We can put two and two together."_

" _Well why didn't you say anything?"_

" _We wanted to let you tell us," answered Snow._

" _It's a little late for that, isn't it?"_

" _So, I think we should probably have the wedding next week, at your coronation."_

" _Okay. Sure."_

The music began to start, coming from where Lucy and Regina sat in the front row, next to other friends of the couple. From the end of the eile, Emma, James, and Snow came into view. Emma was wearing a white wedding dress, adorned with feathers. She looked like a swan. Her blond hair was the way it was the day they first met, at the ball, in a ponytail.

Emma grinned at Neal as she approached. Neal forgot to breath. The crowd let out a sigh. Even the minister was in awe.

Emma walked to stand by Neal. James stepped to stand beside Neal, and Emma beside Snow. The minister began to speak.

"We are here today to celebrate the coming together of two people. Their love has survived through everything that this world has thrown at them. Today we are sealing that love. Today we are also entering a new age, with two new rulers." The minister turned to look at the couple. "Do you, Emma and Neal, do swear to use the power given to you to improve and rule this kingdom with a gentle and courageous hand?"

"I do."

"I do."

Snow and James removed their silver bejeweled crowns, and placed them delicately on the heads of the couple.

"Do you, Emma and Neal, do swear to have and to hold each other, through life and through death, through sickness and health, and everything the world that shall throw at you?"

"I do."

"I do."

"Then I do pronounce you Queen and King. You may kiss the-"

But the minister didn't have time to finish. Neal and Emma were already kissing. The crowd erupted in a chorus of applause and whoops. The two separated and grinned at each other.

Neal and Emma walked through the abandoned village, moon shining down on them as they gripped each others hands. The wedding ceremony had been wonderful, and all of their friends and family had been there, except for the mysterious absence of the Blue Fairy. However, the two wanted to be alone now.

A small groaning noise sounded to the right of Emma.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I don't know," answered Neal. "Let's check it out." Neal motioned for Emma to go in front of him. "Your Majesty."

Emma chuckled. "Don't ever call me that again."

The two walked over to the noise, and saw a couple in hooded cloaks, who appeared to be attempting to pull the bucket up from the well.

Neal walked over to them. "Here, allow me." Neal grabbed the end of the rope, and together, the three pulled up the bucket full of water."

"Thank you, sir," mumbled the man, still hiding his face.

Emma tried to look under the hood, and caught a glance at the man's face. She gaped and stumbled back. It had been years since she had seen him, but Emma would never forget the face of Rumpelstiltskin. It was different now, however. Less scaly, more human.

"Rumpelstiltskin," she said accusingly to the man.

Neal hardened immediately. He let go of the rope, and the bucket fell into the well with a splash. "What."

The man took off his hood, indeed revealing Rumpelstiltskin's face.

"I'm sorry, do I know you two?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

Emma glared. "Oh, you know, you only kidnapped my aunt and I, and threatened to kill me if she didn't cast a curse to find your son!"

Neal went deathly pale. "You did what?" he whispered.

"Emma! The new Queen. I apologize for my previous crime against you."

The woman lowered her hood, revealing kind eyes and long, brown hair. "It's true. We broke Rumpel's curse and we have been waiting for the right time to start earning his forgiveness. My name is Belle, by the way."

"It's so nice to meet you," said Emma, shaking hands with Belle. "It will take a very long time for you turn earn forgiveness. You must convince everyone. It will be harder for you than it was for my grandmother."

"We understand."

Neal stared at Rumpelstiltskin, who noticed. "Do I know you, Your Majesty?"

"Don't call me that."

"Well what should I-"

"Son."

Rumpelstiltskin looked at Neal like he was crazy. "Excuse me?"

"Your name is Rumpelstiltskin. You lost your son when you didn't come with him to the land without magic. Then that son was taken back by the Crimson Cardinal. He met a princess named Emma and later married her. That son is me."

There was a pause. "B-Bae?" he stammered.

Neal merely nodded. They walked forward and hugged. The hug was filled with unsaid things, but they each understood what it meant. When they let go, the two smiled slightly at each other.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"I can, but it will take time," Neal smiled, and added, "dearie."

I really hope that you like this one! Thank you so much to all of the people who read, commented, favorited, and followed my story! Smell ya later!


	22. And They Lived Happily Ever After

Emma sat on the stage in front of the castle on her throne beside her husband. She was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. The whole kingdom sat and stood before her, looking up at her eagerly. Snow and James sat in the front row, as well as Regina, Lucy, Rumpelstiltskin, and Belle. Over the last few years, Rumpelstiltskin had earned his forgiveness, slowly and steadily. It had taken much longer than Regina, but he had reached it all the same.

It was wonderful in the kingdom right now. The crops were thriving, poverty and homelessness was down, and the kingdom was at its best. To top it off, it was time for another coronation.

"Citizens of this kingdom," said Neal, standing up in front of the crowd. "I am pleased to tell you that we have a new member to our ever growing family. I happily present to you, the new prince!"

Emma stood up and revealed the baby boy to the crowd. He had small tufts of brown hair growing, and he had a giddy smile on his face. Emma produced a small, soft, silver crown in her hand and laid it delicately on her son's head. Then, she leaned over and kissed his forehead, blessing him, to the applause of the crowd.

"What's his name?" called someone from the back of the crowd.

Emma smiled.

"Henry."

I am so sorry that this chapter was so short! I really hoped that you liked it. Thank you so much to all of the people who supported me along the way through this story. It was an adventurous and short time, and I hope that you will look for more stories that I write on . Smell ya later!


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